Blade of Vish |

6. A Soooo Long Chapter

Her eyes were red. I thought she would probably give me a slap but instead, she hugged us both and started crying. “I thought I lost you two. We have lost practically everything we had in life. Neel and Anshu, promise me you two will not do this again. I can’t loose you two.”

We assured her that we would not repeat this again. But then ZIGGY said
You will Neel. Soon.

Can you keep quite? Mom is really worried.

She announced, “We are going back children. ”
“But mom-” both sis and me said at once.
“I have announced something. A no means no. We are going back.”

So here we were. My trip was over in a single day. We repacked the bags. Took the very first train and set off for the return journey.

Two days later, we were back in our ordinary life. The school started. Before our emergency comeback, I was going to come nearly a week later. But now I was in the school on the very first day. I was in 8th now.
Our sections( mine and that of sis) were different.

I was back in my class. The state was same, Aditya and Niranjan were the bullies of the class. I was not at all concerned with them. I usually sat alone on the last bench. (#backbenchers hurray!)
The scene was going as usual,- Teachers were exchanging intros with students, Miss Anita, our class teacher was lecturing us for good habits and discipline.

A girl came in the class. Her age was what- thirteen? No,  Fourteen. She was wearing a white dress, her green eyes seemed to say something else. Her hair was partially black as it was brown at the endings with small curls. Her physique—no. I need to focus on what happened next.

Anita mam announced “Children, she is your new classmate, Vaani.”

Vaani sat near the Gossip Corner. Gossip Corner is a corner of the girl’s row where Supriya and the other girls of her group chat about every new headline about both the boys and girls. The group usually consist of stylish girls.

After around a week, in lunch break, the news spread that Vaani was offered the membership of gossip corner but she declined it. There was another headline that Vaani made a comment on Supriya’s makeup also. The problem was that the next period was of Physical Education. I knew what was going to happen next.

The bell rang, the students of my class ran towards the playground. I ran towards Vaani. I didn’t know why it happened because usually, I am the one who stays out of these matters. But I knew what Supriya was going to do. A ragging was going to take place soon.

When I reached the ground, Vaani and Supriya were having an argument. Limit of Supriya’s tolerance was crossed. Two of her friends grabbed Vaani’s arms.

“Leave her alone!” I shouted. Supriya clapped twice and then Aditya and Niranjan came forward. “Can you two handle him?” Supriya exclaimed.

They grabbed my hand and dragged me at the corner. No one was at the corner except us three. They started beating me. Suddenly, a blue light appeared and it was hard to believe what I saw. The light took form of a disk. I didn’t know what but it protected me. It SHIELDED me.

Aditya and Niranjan ran away screaming, “Aliens in the school! Mr. Neel a freak! Freak!"

I returned to the spot where Supriya was. But the scene was opposite. Supriya was struggling as Vaani grabbed her arms. The other two girls were on the ground knocked out. There was no need of my help, Vaani herself was sufficient.

The next headline of the Gossip Corner was not the embarrassment Supriya encountered. But the very thought that Mr. Neel Soni is a freak- he is a crazy loner who summons aliens for help.

I didn’t react. This was pretty much common for me. At the end of the day when I was leaving for home, Vaani CAME there.

“Ahh! Ahh!”
“Yes.”
“Hey Neel, how are you?”
“Pretty fine. How’s your wrist?”
“It’s OK.”
“Any other thing in particular?”
“Thanks Neel.”
“Hey, not to mention it. You saved yourself on your own.”
“Ooookkkk. Well, I live near to your house (she knew my address?). I think we can be friends. So what do you say?”
“Um???? No.”

And I ran away straight to my home. I didn’t even care I left sis behind. I knew she could come on her own.

For how much more time will you run away Neel?
I didn’t answer him much because he knew why.
Without friends, how will you overcome the challenges of the world?

I knew this was true. I had no friends. Whoever my friends were, they all suffered hardships, met accidents and whatnot. So I decided that I will not make any friends. This was hard for me.
This was the only reason why people called me freak, why I sat alone and that also on the last bench and obviously, why I declined Vaani’s friendship.

I reached home. Sis came just a minute later. Everything seemed right but I had a sensation that it wasn’t. The dogs seemed too much quite. Usually when we return home, mom would have being watching TV and dad would have been having his lunch. That day, neither the sound of dad’s presence came neither that of the TV.

“Sis what’s happening?”
“I don’t know Neel, but something isn’t right.”
“Maybe we should check.”

I opened the door and saw a man holding the collar of my dad’s shirt. Mom was lying on the floor. Both mom and dad seemed unconscious. The house was in shambles.

“Hello children. How are you?” saying this, the person leaned forward. His legs and hand began to swell, his height increased and his chest expanded.

Run Neel! ZIGGY shouted in my brain.

I grabbed sis’s arm and did as directed. I ran.

The person was a monster and I was sure about it. But what did he want from us? Was everything impractical going to happen with me?
Running for around half an hour nonstop, sis decided that we should take a break. We arrived in the baazar (market). We didn’t leave each other’s hand. Sis asked an uncle for mobile. He gave it to her. And Anshu started dialing number.
“Whom are you calling?”
“The only one who can help us.” saying this she asked me to move few meters away. She talked to a person in tuff mean time, I tried to figure this all stuff out.
Who is he ZIGGY?

I will answer all your questions Neel. But this is not the right time. He will surely get aware of my presence if I interact with you for too long time.
Wow! Now no one can help us. We are on our own. We were standing in the market trying to save our lives.
“Sis, we need to go.”
“But where?”
“Nowhere.” And here was he, the monster, but in his human form.
He snapped his fingers and all other people around us fell on ground.
“Don’t worry. They are only asleep.” the monster said. In his hands, he was holding our parents.
He split in front of us and we were encircled by fire.
“I know it won’t be able to kill you. But it will explode in three minutes. By the way Neel, you took two, I took two. Fair enough.” Saying this, he disappeared in wind along with our mom and dad.

But at that time, I seemed to get frozen. My senses stopped working. My heart sank in an ocean of sorrow. Sis brought me back to senses. “Neel! We need to do something.”

Thirty seconds to the blast.  ZIGGY warned me. I needed to do something or else we will die.
Ten seconds.
"Aaaaaaggggghhhhh!" I screamed in pain and then again it appeared, the disc which saved me nearly four hours ago.
The disc changed shape. It took the form of a hemisphere. It seemed to cover us both me and Anshu.
Three- two ZIGGY shouted.
“One” I said and ka-boom! The blast occurred, the walls of the disc broke, the world around me started to fade and I went unconscious.